Konosuke Takeshita has opened up about the myriad challenges he faces as a Japanese wrestler striving to make his mark on an American wrestling stage. He came to America with AEW, and he was pushed as a big deal. Tony Khan’s desire to see fans latch onto him as a babyface without regard did not pan out, but he is now a heel. He is also not having fun.
The 28-year-old recently sat down with DDT Pro to promote his highly anticipated match against Minoru Suzuki at Referee Matsui’s 30th-anniversary produce show on May 19th. During the interview, the AEW star boldy and candidly discussed the obstacles he has encountered in America. Takeshita shared that, despite his relentless hard work, certain elements have thwarted his progress:
“Discrimination is not the word here but unfortunately there’s a lack of space for an Asian person to be on a TV show watched by Americans. No matter how good my condition was nor the amount of matches I was put in, or how many times they said my match was good, it felt like I couldn’t make it in the starting lineup, to put it in Baseball terms.”
Takeshita also delved into the psychological toll these struggles have taken on him. He revealed that wrestling in Japan always felt like an enjoyable experience, a stark contrast to his time in the US. It just results in him not having any fun at this point in his career, because of all the effort involved and everything else hovering around him.
“I didn’t have any fun wrestling ever since I got to America. The effort was bearing fruit, but I didn’t feel the enjoyment. It was the most mentally exhausting period in all 12 years of my wrestling career. However, when I stopped having fun, my matches were better received, and I gained more recognition. And it’s not proportional.”
The young star who is only 28 is going through a challenging phase of his career as a unique opportunity to grow and evolve. We will have to see what is next for him, but Tony Khan isn’t letting go of someone who could be a big time player for years to come.
